Why a Word for the Year?

You’ve probably heard it asked—Do you have a word for the year?

Like many, I began choosing one several years ago, after hearing others speak about…

• The difference it made.
• How their word brought clarity.
• How it brought direction.

But that begs the question—How? How does one choose from the plethora of options—to pick that single word to guide him or her into the unfamiliar territory of a never-traveled-before year?

I’ve wondered too, so I asked, and the answer came from an Old Testament scripture.

“Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3 CSB).

This passage is a promise. We’ll receive an answer from God when we call on Him.

“So, if having a word matters, what’s mine?” I asked.

Being a bit of a procrastinator, I’d waited until January 1^st to ponder my options. But at dinnertime on New Year’s Day, I lifted a bowl from the shelf and saw it. Right there on the side of the ceramic dish.

Calm.

Was God saying something?

Moments later, while watching television, a commercial came on advertising an online app. Suddenly, the word “Calm” appeared, in white script against a blue background.

No way. Twice within minutes?

But God, who I’m convinced has a sense of humor (and sometimes sounds like my husband Bill), wasn’t finished. Just for clarity, He decided to confirm once more.

Sitting on the couch, Bill sighed. “Don’t you love the calm after the holidays?”

I almost choked on my drink. “Okay, God—‘calm’ it is.”

And now, having entered the second month of 2023, I can say there’ve already been numerous occasions when, wanting to respond with anger or react in a frenzied manner, I’ve heard this word whispered in my heart—

Calm.

Just that little reminder has been what I’ve needed to stop, breathe, and reply to the situation in a slower, more relaxed manner.

But was there more? I wondered.

Again, I believed I heard God speak—“Seek My Word.”

The Bible? What might it say about the word calm? Using an online concordance, I googled it and discovered “calm” a number of times. One particular passage, however, pricked my heart.

“…I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like a weaned child” (Psalm 131:2 CSB).

The image the psalmist creates in this verse is one of rest for a child with a mother. More, it speaks of a weaned child, one no longer looking to the mother for sustenance. Rather, he or she simply rests in her presence.

With “calm” as my word, I believe the Lord’s reminding me to find my satisfaction in Him. I can feel insecure or feel like a failure sometimes. In turn, I might look to others to satisfy a longing for approval. God, however, wants me to face each moment knowing, no matter what, He’s my satisfaction. Resting in His presence, I’m content.

And the outcome? In the quiet, I can better hear Him as He exhorts me, encourages me, or simply sings love songs over me (Zephaniah 3:17).

Finally, when I asked God why having a word matters, I heard His whisper.

“Just as Peter fixed his eyes on Me to stay above the water to keep from sinking, you, too, will focus on the word I’ve given. Yes, I am giving you a word that will bear the fruit of peace and joy in the coming days, no matter the storms you’ll face.”

May we each seek God this year. Ask Him about His word for you. Then dive in and search His Word—the Bible—for a passage related to yours. In doing so, He offers us a lamp to our feet, a light to our path, as we journey through the unknowns of this new year.

Dear Jesus, you are The Word and You’ve given us the precious gift of Your Word, the Bible. Please guide us as we seek You, giving us a word to focus on in the coming days. We hold fast to Your promise to answer us when we call to You. Help us listen! Amen.